Lucky Gambit
by TheSemasin
Summary: [ MAJOR SDR2 SPOILERS ] AU. They went by each day, not knowing what had happened only days prior. Only a few days prior was Nanami the only one left alive. All because Komaeda's plan had worked, and Junko didn't like that. So here she was again, with only herself, Junko, and one other person remembering what happened. She'd have to stop despair. But Nanami had no idea how.
1. Prologue Part 1

_Lucky Gambit_

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><p>Nanami remembered each word as if it was happening once again, right in front of her. Their slow, calm breaths of relief had sped up as soon as Monokuma had uttered the words:<p>

_「__You're Wrong!__」_

Kuzuryuu had stopped breathing. Sonia had inhaled sporadically, trying to fight back the tears that brimmed her eyes. Souda was incapable of stopping his tears from falling as he continuously questioned "What the hell…?", and Owari seemed to fall into another world as she stood there, frozen.

"H-how…" Hinata breathed, tears threatening to fall from his eyes as well. "I-it was…"

"Oh please, Hinata!" scoffed the monochrome monster, "You knew something was wrong with the case! You should have said something!"

Hinata tried to say something after that as the liquid started to spill from his eyes, but he couldn't get it out. No one could. It took a small relief from Nanami's cheek to realize even she, a mere program, was crying for this.

"The murder of the Super High School Level Good Luck, Nagito Komaeda, was in fact _not_ a suicide!"

Nanami realized in that moment that, regardless of how it happened, it was her. She was the traitor. He was luck. He wanted her dead – or so that's what she'd thought. There was no way the killer wasn't her.

And as Monokuma called her name, she sighed. And as the terrified and betrayed expressions of her friends looked back at her, she bit back the tears. The words they said, the sobs they let loose, she couldn't even hear them at this point. She looked down at her shoes as Owari, being held back by Sonia and Kuzuryuu, screamed at her from the top of her broken lungs, spit and tears flying from her face. And Souda, who could barely form coherent words, sat on the ground, crying his eyes out. Only once did she look up, and that was when the voice farthest from hers spoke. The hardest to reach out of them all.

"W-why?"

Hinata's shattered voice broke through her thoughts, and disregarding the others, she rapidly looked up at him. Her stomach dropped as she saw how hard he was trying to not cry, his fists clenched and his teeth partly gritted. Why did she care so much about Hinata? And after a moment of just looking at him, disregarding the others, she realized the answer was simple.

Ah yes, she loved him, didn't she?

The tears she'd been struggling to hold back began to rain down all at once, and she found herself struggling to speak. She lifted her hands to her chest, playing with the ribbon that was tied at her shirt. With a small hiccup, she tried forming words.

"H-hinata…I-I…"

"Let's give it everything we've got! It'ssssssss Punishment Time!"

Sonia and Souda collectively screamed, and even the tougher souls like Kuzuryuu and and Owari began to lose their cool. Hinata, despite the circumstance was the only one to remain calm, wiping his tears with his arm. In that moment, the gamer ripped her bow out, gripping it harshly in her palm.

"H-hinata…!"

It had been too late though, and as soon as she realized what was happening, the five kids were pulled off to their doom. Nanami ran through the door with them, only to end up on an observer's deck, watching it them die in a punishment made for her. Kuzuryuu, Sonia, Souda, and Owari were all shot down in the beginning. Hinata had raced through, trying to find a way to escape. The last place he found himself though, was a retro styled game.

_Tetris._

The gamer had been screaming incoherent words as she watched her friends die, her face a total wreck from crying as hard as she was. Seeing Hinata in the situation stopped her though, and she wordlessly watched as Hinata got boxed in. Each Tetris block brought him closer to his doom, and with each pound of the block Nanami's racing heart ached harder. And as the final Tetris block was about to be placed over him, she shrieked like a banshee, dropping the ribbon she held in her hand as she tried to reach out for him.

"HINATAAAAAA!"

Her brain stopped working once the block made contact.

Nanami was lead back to the trial room by Monomi in almost a dead state. Monomi rambled on about something, most likely trying to keep Nanami's mind off the entire ordeal. But the only thing the gamer could think about was why she was the only one left. She, the traitor, was literally the only one left alive.

_Virtually alive,_ she reminded herself. _Technically they're all still alive_.

This one idea reminded her that things weren't completely lost. Now that the simulation was over, they'd probably wake up as they were before. It wasn't the best alternative, but it was better than them never waking up at all. Heck, some of them might even _be_ awake! Nanami kept repeating this possibility in her mind, assuring herself everything would be fine, over and over and over again. And she was generally beginning to believe it, until she stepped back in the trial room.

There were X's on everyone's faces but hers, and a new space in the trial circle. A new space in which a throne sat, with a monster sitting atop it.

A monster with a perpetual sneer on her face.

"You're…"

Nanami tried her best to stand tall and hold her ground, but what with everything that took place prior, she was weak the knees and light-headed. Just looking at the gamer made the wretched beast begin to laugh, motioning her to the place she stood every trial in. Nanami, despite Monomi's protests, walked without saying a word to her place. A small seat was there, which Nanami took advantage of almost immediately.

"…Junko Enoshima…" Nanami finished, catching her breath. This was Monokuma. This was the problem. Despite knowing she was just a virus, the gamer found herself incredibly scared by just her aura.

Junko nodded, looking up and down her alter, before speaking.

"Y'know Nanami, I'm very displeased."

"With what?"

"Everything."

Junko crinkled her nose, huffing a bit in frustration before continuing.

"Well, I mean, not eeeeeverything, y'know? What I really hate is how everything's turned out since the fourth trial. It's just gone so terribly, don't you think?"

Nanami was about to answer, before Junko clapped her hands, cutting the gamer off.

"That's it! I have the greeeeeeaaatest idea EVER! Almost as good as the Mutual Killing!"

"Y-you do?" Nanami's voice shook as her fists clenched further. As much as she wanted to run away, Nanami couldn't stop herself from shaking in fear where she stood. Looming above her was the despair that killed her friends, and she was in no shape to do something about it.

"Mhm! I know what I'll do, I'll reset the game!"

"_What?!_"

"Yeep! I'll start the whole simulation over, like a system reset. No one except you and me will remember the events that took place here, and you'll get to go through the whooooole game over again!"

Monomi screamed in horror, saying that this was preposterous, delusional, and that the monster was mad. Junko rolled her eyes, taking Monomi by the ear and throwing her against the wall.

"And to add on to it, I just thought of an even BETTER idea!"

Nanami stood up this time. Starting the simulation again…that…was it a good idea? She knew regardless that Junko would start the mutual killing again, but maybe…just maybe…she could prevent it?

"I'll even let another person keep their memories. One of my choosing. How does that sound?"

"Chiaki, you just _can't_! Don't do it, it's-"

"Dangerous?" Junko spat, turning her attention towards the rabbit. "Listen rodent, I'm giving you a fucking _second chance_. You should be _groveling_ at my feet you motherfucking ingrate of a little sister!"

She had a point. Junko was giving them a second chance. A second chance to defeat despair. To help everyone get out alive. To tell Hinata…

"You'll probably play a nasty trick, like giving only Tsumiki her memories!"

Junko scoffed. "Oh please, that's soooooo predictably booooooring. I promise, who I've picked will be barrels of fun for all~!"

With that, Junko took Monomi and chucked her harder against the wall this time. This knocked Monomi out, giving the girls some privacy. Junko turned back to face her counterpart, crossing her legs and resting her head in her palm. With a confident smirk, Junko looked down at Nanami.

"So, my dear little Chiaki, what will you choose?"

Nanami took a deep breath and thought about her choices. _Let's get real, Chiaki_, she told herself. _They're probably not awake, and most likely won't wake up._

She could fix this mess. She could help make things better. Prevent the killings.

Silently, Nanami looked up at the demon before her and nodded. There was no way she could turn it down, the opportunity was perfect. She'd save everyone like she was supposed to.

Junko cackled in the otherwise silent trial room. She stood up from the throne, and with of a snap of her fingers, uttered words colder than ice:

_「__Let the game begin!__」_

.

Nanami woke up in a classroom, her head resting against the desk. She yawned, stretching and then sitting upright again, looking around her surroundings. It was the classroom they'd started out it the last time around. She felt almost a sense of comfort looking at the place; before despair, before the killings, before everything. A wave of relieve washed over her body, and the compelling feeling of wanting to take a nap overwhelmed her. With that, she rubbed her eye, allowing herself to fall asleep.

Until she realized that what she rubbed her eye with was in no way her sleeve.

She stood up almost instantaneously, looking down at her outfit. She still had her backpack on, which was a plus. But she noticed the distinct difference in the rest of her, specifically her shirt. Her dark blue jacket was replaced with a light blue cardigan that was particularly low cut around the boob area. And she noticed instead a bra, she had a tie-able around the neck tank top that was also low cut. Either way, plenty of boob. _Junko must've designed this,_ she thought with a groan. The cardigan went down to the edge of her skirt, which remained relatively the same, except white. Instead of her mary-janes, she wore light pink lolita boots that reached just under her knees. Her black socks were pretty much the same; the only difference were the garters that now held them up. Calmly, Nanami walked over to one of the windows to look at her reflection next. Thankfully, there was no makeup, and her clip was still there. However, she did notice that there was some hair sticking up in the back, which as much as she tried to smooth it down, it kept sticking up.

"What _are _you doing?"

She turned around to see Togami – or the _other_ Togami, really – standing there with his arms folded, eyebrow cocked. Nanami took one look and almost burst into tears right there, but instead she smiled politely.

"I was just making sure I looked nice. I slept in this morning, so I wasn't sure."

He scoffed. "Whatever."

Nanami sat back down in her chair, tapping the desk with her nails. _It worked._ That was all she could think. _It actually __**worked**_.

One by one, all the students gathered in the classroom, with no recollection of their deaths that had occurred. Nanami felt weird, intruding in a group of zombies or something.

When Hinata walked into the room, as awkward as the first time, Nanami felt relief wash over her. _They were all okay,_ she cheered to herself. _It…it actually worked!_

"Ah, hey, can you get out of the way? I'd like to get in too, y'know!"

Nanami's breathing stopped as the colour drained from her face. Behind a frantic to apologize Hinata, a cheeky Junko Enoshima stood, tall and just as annoyed as ever.

"'Bout time," she grumbled, flipping a pigtail.

Junko was dressed in a white and pink sailor uniform with short sleeves, and black thigh socks with out of place garters. And speaking of out of place, she was also wearing white combat boots and white ribbons in her hair. Resting on her neck was a black, skin-tight choker. Despite looking cute, Junko surely had a way to make the look hers.

"Well, since that was the last student to enter, let's start the discussion.

The conversation started as it should, but Nanami paid no mind. She speed walked over to Junko, who smirked deviously for an instant as the gamer approached her.

"Why are you here?!" Nanami whisper-yelled. Junko shrugged, throwing her arms behind her back.

"Why not?" she asked sweetly, a sick smile on her face. "It'd be boring if things remained the same, so I figured, despite my changes, I'd spice it up more!" Junko held up her hand in a peace sign, which caused Nanami to gape slightly. She was seriously going to be playing the game with them?!

"But in the end, that also puts you at risk, right? What would happen if you got killed in your own game?"

Junko tried stifling a laugh, but was practically bursting at the seams doing so. She composed herself with a happy sigh. "Nanami dear, that would be the worst, wouldn't it? The most despair-inducing outcome I could think of. Which is why I'd be willing to put my life on the line for it!"

"B-but…what about Monokuma?"

"Don't worry Nanami, I already have a backup in place. Everything will go fiiiiiine! Well, as fine as it can be while you all kill each other! Upupupupu-"

"You two! What are you talking about?"

Nanami and Junko looked over at the rest of the group, all of which were staring at them, waiting for them to answer. Nanami was unsure of what to say, whereas Junko knew exactly how to answer.

"Just discussing our outfits at first! It's a shame she's not really into clothes like me, but I guess that's understandable. What do _you_ need, hmm?"

Junko's arms were folded with an eyebrow cocked. Togami was visibly annoyed by her final comment, but dismissed it for the time being. He then began to address the entire class, this time with all of them listening.

"Anyway," said the booming voice of Nidai. "As I was saying. Instead of trying to figure out why we're here, we should try to figure out why we can't leave."

"Huh? Whaddya mean we can't leave?"

Their conversation continued, discussing all the possibilities as to why no one could leave, why they were there, et cetera. Nanami wasn't really paying attention; she didn't need to. Not only did she know this all already, but she didn't really want to listen. Just seeing them and hearing them all alive was enough for her.

"Ah, you're wrong, this is not an entrance exam."

And right on cue, Usami's voice rang through the room. Nanami shot a quick glance to Junko, who just simply shook her head. _So Usami is blind as well, huh._

Nanami decided to keep herself from looking suspicious and input her voice into the mix.

"It sounds like it came from behind the teacher's desk…"

And just like that, Usami appeared and introduced herself. And, as prior, everyone freaked out.

"What…is that…?"

"Um…it looks like a stuffed animal…"

"That's right, I am a squeezably soft stuffed animal. Magical Miracle Girl Usami…AKA, Usami! I may not look like it, but I am your squeezably soft teacher."

Usami's introduction went just as it did the first time. Everyone was shocked and frustrated, calling her things like a Chihuahua instead of a rabbit. This was a time when Usami was still confident and didn't mind being called those things. Just thinking about that caused Nanami to frown.

Before Nanami could comprehend what was going on, she was flung into the field trip. She'd spaced out and reminisced for much longer than she would've preferred, and was at a loss of words.

"Everyone, please stay calm!" That's what Usami had said, but at this point, how could she?

She'd flung everyone back into this world, remembering nothing of the bonds they all shared. Understanding nothing of who they each were, of what happened, and of what was about to happen.

The look on her face was one of pure despair. She could feel Junko's gaze on her.

She really messed up on this one.

Hinata eventually bolted, leaving everyone else to stand around and discuss their circumstance. Junko grabbed Nanami's arm and dragged her into the group just as she was about to go after him. That's right, she had to keep her façade. Even Junko knew that better than her.

"Well, I think the best thing to do right now is to introduce ourselves. It's better to know who we're trapped with." Togami's voice was just as loud as Nanami remembered. His tone and aura were extremely demanding; everyone was probably intimidated by it, honestly.

Ibuki was the first to jump up. "Oooooh! Introductions?! Ibuki LOVES meeting new people! Ahem. I'm Ibuki Mioda, the Super High School Level Musician!"

Togami blinked at her before nodding. "Alright then. I'm Byakuya Togami, and I'm the Super High School Level Heir."

One by one, everyone in the group introduced themselves by giving their name and talent. Nanami noticed how much she was able to detect about them by who they stood next too; Peko and Kuzuryuu, Togami and Ibuki, Souda, Sonia, and Gundam, so on and so forth. She noticed that naturally the only person not really standing next to anyone was Komaeda.

"I'm the Super High School Level Good Luck, Nagito Komaeda. I know it's kind of a lame talent, but I hope you won't think less of me for it!"

Nanami couldn't help but smile and giggle a little, earning a glare from Togami. Blissful ignorance was nice, Nanami supposed. Komaeda seemed to see her smile based on his words and shot a small glance at her before looking away. Well, it wasn't like she could help it. The sentence basically contradicted everything from the last run through.

Junko, who was standing next to Nanami, introduced herself after that.

"Junko Enoshima, Super High School Level Model. I'm going to go find that kid with the ahoge now. Ciao~"

With that, Junko spun on her heel and left, leaving a staring Souda and a whole group behind.

"Wow…" was all he could say, practically drooling.

Nanami cocked an eyebrow at him, completely confused. He had a thing for Sonia though. Why would he even…?

She decided she was overthinking it and stepped up last.

"Uh, hi, I'm Chiaki Nanami, the Super High School Level Gamer." She bowed slightly, before stepping back with a yawn.

"Well, now that we're all introduced, what do you suppose we do?" Koizumi was the first one to speak, looking at Togami. He scoffed, folding his arms.

"Isn't it obvious? We go and investigate the island, that's what we do."

"Wow pig barf, you don't have to be so rude about it!" Saionji sneered from next to Koizumi, giving him a stern look of disapproval. He frowned.

"Although I do agree it was a tad rude, I do believe that Togami has a marvelous idea! We should all explore the island and get a feel for our new home!" With that, Sonia took off in a random direction with the intent of figure out the island. Soon after that, the rest of the group began to disperse as well, leaving Nanami to go run off.

Nanami ran as far away as she could, to the farthest end of the beach. Eventually stopping and crashing, she fell to the ground, completely exhausted. She hadn't had a good nap the entire day to recharge, and it was certainly catching up to her. Why was this happening? That's right, it was because she tried to make a rational decision when she was terrified and her friends were dead. She panicked. That was why she was here.

Nanami felt tears brimming her eyes. She'd messed up big time. How could she have thought this was a good idea? Despair would happen again, that was inevitable, and she just couldn't take it by herself.

It then occurred to her she wouldn't be, someone else remembered.

And she'd left the biggest hint when giggling at Komaeda.

Whoever had their memories knew about Komaeda, except maybe Togami. The chances of the person with their memories seeing her and understanding where she came from was far too great to not be the case. With that, Nanami stood up, thinking about it more deeply.

Whoever new, were they coming to seek her out? Would they be able to work together? To stop despair?

"Well, that all depends," she murmured to herself. "On who it is and how much they know."

Nanami dropped her arms with a sigh. She couldn't just ask who it was, and if she dropped too obvious of hints about it she'd be questioned. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place with this one, and she-

"Well? How much would they need to know? Because you know, I do know a great deal of things."

When she realized who the voice behind her belonged to, her blood ran cold. A shiver ran down her spine just by thinking about it. Junko had picked well for this one, and she should've seen it coming.

"I should've known it was you."

"Hmm? And why's that?"

"Because I know my enemy."

Laughter, psychotic laughter, echoed from behind her. She felt the person's arms wrap around her waist as their head rested on her neck.

"Y'know, before all this started, Monokuma told me we'd be doing it again. And he told me that the traitor would be there, and the traitor would know."

Nanami felt light headed once again, closing her eyes in frustration.

"And you seem to know, Nanami. So may I ask, was it you all along? Did my plan really work?"

Biting back the tears, Nanami lowered her head slightly, before nodding slowly.

"Yes, Komaeda. I'm the traitor."

He chuckled darkly into her neck, before standing upright and cackling with all his might. Nanami spun around and he clasped his hands with hers, looking down at her in a crazed daze.

"I found out a whole lot from the Final Dead Room Nanami," he started, his voice slowed down as her heart raced. "I found out that all the talented pillars of hope were just flukes, hiding their despaired selves under cloaks of hope! All except for you, Nanami."

Nanami took a deep breath. Somewhere, somehow, she knew he knew. She knew that was why he was hostile towards the others, and Hinata in particular. Hinata, whom he'd cared about more than anyone else, was cast aside as soon as he found out.

"Now, I don't really care if they die, or if I die when the mutual killing happens again," he started. "However,"

He brought Nanami instantly into a hug, squeezing her tight enough where she couldn't escape but loose enough where she could still breathe.

"If you want them to be saved, they'll be saved. If you want them to die, they'll die. You are the only hope, and a lowlife such as myself isn't worthy of such hope. I'll become your stepping stone, a way to help fix this island and put an end to this despair!"

Nanami, who was pressed up against him, closed her eyes once again in defeat. Just when she'd figured things couldn't get much worse…

.

"_I absolutely love you Nanami…my precious pillar of hope…"_

_ ._

…they did.

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><p><strong>AN: Don't even ask me where I got this idea from. It just kind of happened oops**

**Anyway, the story is about Nanami and Komaeda basically going through SDR2 knowing what's supposed to happen already. All of the murders will be different, and it's just a fun twist of an AU in my opinion.**

**The prologue is kind of vague because most of the dialogue was straight from the game. Because there was just no creativity there, I decided not to add it. **

**Unlike the popular opinions, I tend to lean towards KomaNami. I don't actually know why, they're just incredibly cute together and would be an amazingly healthy relationship. Nanami's extremely dazed in the story at the moment, but like, there'll be a shit-ton of fluff. There will also be another pairing or two which aren't exactly popular pairings, but I go based on how it would be in canon, or I try at least.**

**Don't get me wrong, I LOVE HinaNami. But Hinata's not a main focus at the moment. And on top of that, no real romance will be portrayed for awhile, simply because it'd be stupid to start it off with no plot. It'll be one-sided on Komaeda's part until he chills out a little.  
><strong>

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the story! Favourite and Review and all that, and I'll see you when the next chapter comes out!**


	2. Prologue Part 2

**Reviews**

**Integras: Ah, thank you so much! Ko's kinda tricky, so I'm glad to hear he's being handled well. I hope you like the rest of it!**

**gamekrazy306: Thank you so much!**

**metalgearhunter: Thank you! Junko's a blast to write for, so luckily she'll be sticking around!**

**Totalfangirl01: Thank you! !**

**Helkavana: Hhhhh thank youuuu KomaNami doesn't get as much good fanfiction as HinaNami and KomaHina so I'm glad to hear!  
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><p>The day ticked by faster than she would've expected it to. Maybe it was just because she'd accidentally fallen asleep without realizing it. Maybe it was just that Komaeda had some interesting things to say for a change.<p>

_No, it couldn't be that_, she'd thought to herself. _I must've fallen asleep._

And it wasn't that she didn't fall asleep. Because she most certainly did. She fell asleep on Komaeda's shoulder during the middle of a semi-forced conversation. It was mainly planning anyway.

Komaeda thought it was the absolute cutest thing in the world. Here was his very own hope, asleep on his shoulder. Hope, sleeping on _someone like him_. Naturally he was ecstatic.

But wait, wouldn't she be uncomfortable on his shoulder? No, he couldn't have that. So, he moved her gently from his shoulder to his lap. If he thought she was cute before, he was almost squealing now.

And as she slept, he laid himself down as quietly as he could. Sleeping under the sun…even if it was a fake sun, it was gorgeous. The false perfection of the world around him was just simply so relaxing, and he could drift off too…

"Um…excuse me?"

"No no no! You have to be more forceful, Hajime! Not 'excuuuusee meee…'. More like OI! GET YO' FOOKIN' ASSES UP NAOW!"

Oh good.

_Hinata_.

Hinata was the first person he could ever call a friend. And in a sense, he still wished he could; he cared about Hinata very deeply. This person was the first to spare him a glance, and for that glance to last longer. Even after they pointed and deemed him crazy, he and Hinata still spent time together. It was time Komaeda would always cherish.

But Hinata was despair. In fact, he was probably one of the worst among the group. _He_ was Izuru Kamukura. _He_ helped start this mess.

And for that, Komaeda could never forgive _him._

The luckster sat upright with a drowsy and dazed look in his eyes. He rubbed one, stretched, and yawned, and not necessarily in that order. He placed his hands on either side of him to support his body upright, and looked at his "best friend" and…

And a woman who made his blood run cold. If he remembered correctly, she was Junko Enoshima.

She _was_ despair.

"Hello there, you two!" Komaeda addressed, smiling wryly. "What brings you over here?"

Junko sensed his mocking tone almost immediately and responded accordingly.

"Oh, I just brought Hajime here to come and meet you. But…I can see that you're busy."

She shot a judgmental look at how Nanami was laying in his lap. Komaeda felt his teeth grit slightly and his left hand clench up.

"No no, please. Now is perfectly fine. _I insist._"

Poor Hinata was completely lost in the mix. He didn't understand the hostility and, after a few minutes, just didn't care enough to try.

"Fine, if you're going to be so adamant about it. We just came to introduce ourselves. Ain't that right, Hajime?"

"Um…yeah."

"Oh man up, would ya?"

Junko hit him rather hard in his chest, causing Nanami to stir and sit up. More dazed than Komaeda, she had no idea what was going on, who was groaning, and where she was. She yawned obnoxiously before restarting her data processors, which caused her to wake up.

"Ah…I must've fallen asleep." Nanami rubbed her eyes, yawning again.

Komaeda put a hand on her shoulder, addressing her in the nicest manner he could muster up. "Ah, it's good to see you're awake. It was no trouble though, I think I dozed off myself, hehe."

Junko shot him a quizzical gaze; his personality shifted greatly with Nanami in his presence. Komaeda noticed her eyes on him and shot a glare back.

_Oh goody,_ she thought.

"Man, I'm already fuckin' bored of hangin' with these losers. Hurry up, will ya, Hajime?"

Hajime frowned. "Whatever you say, princess…" His voice was laced with a tone so done with everything that even Komaeda had to give him props.

"I'm Hajime Hinata. It's nice to meet you guys."

Komaeda made a waving gesture. "Nagito Komaeda, Super High School Level Lucky Student. _My pleasure._"

Hinata shivered slightly before turning his attention to Nanami. The latter was hopelessly trapped in an inward battle on what to say and how to say it. Her gaze frantically shifted from Hinata to Junko to Komaeda and then back again, leaving her frying out inwardly. Komaeda sensed her panic and adjusted accordingly.

"This is Chiaki Nanami, the Super High School Level Gamer. She just woke up, so she's kind of dazed, as you can see." He chuckled good-naturedly, but also earned a slight jab from Nanami at it.

Hinata raised an eyebrow.

"Uh…okay then. Again, it's nice to meet you two."

"Same to you, Hinata!"

Junko grabbed Hinata's arm after that and pulled him away without saying goodbye. Komaeda watched as they left to make sure they were out of hearing range. He turned to Nanami then, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Ah, you don't seem to have a fever…are you okay?"

She forcefully smacked his arm away, standing upright in a motion of panic. Her legs were shaking as she backed away slowly.

"Okay? How am I supposed to be okay?!"

"Nanami-"

"No, stop! I couldn't even talk to Hinata – _Hinata _of all people! And I'm supposed to do everything over again?! _I can't take this Komaeda_!"

In a fit of frustration, Nanami grabbed her head and yanked on her hair slightly. Her head seared, and she couldn't process anything around her. She felt her body warm up, and wheels stopped turning.

Nanami was overheating. Before the AI could realize it however, she collapsed, broken down and in need of a really long rest.

Komaeda frowned; not a frown of disappointment, but one of general concern. He lifted Nanami up and got her on his back as best he could. She just needed rest, was all. Her dorm could plenty satisfy.

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><p>Nanami woke up groggily, rubbing her eyes and stretching with a yawn. She looked around in a state of barely awareness; once to her left, once to her right. She looked down to see she was wearing the same clothes she'd worn to game #2. <em>So it wasn't a dream,<em> she's thought sadly.

Wait a second – how did she get back in her cottage? Looking around, it wasn't much different from how she'd left it; messy and dirty, with games and consoles lying all around the floor. That proved to herself that she couldn't have brought herself home; she would've started playing regardless of how tired she was or not. Yet here she was.

A thought struck her almost instantly after; one that had made sense, but one she did not want to accept. Komaeda had brought her back. There was no doubt in her mind that it had happened as such.

She sighed, getting up out of bed and walking out of the room. Surely a glass of water would help her cool down.

As she trudged drearily to the restaurant, she realized as she pushed against the cold, nighttime air that she _did _have a fever. A slight one, at best, but still a fever. Frowning, the gamer tugged on her bag unsurely. She must've overheated, ah, how embarrassing.

It was when she entered the restaurant that she realized how she really didn't care.

It was barren. Empty. No one was around.

No one was making jokes, no one was fooling around, no one was eating obnoxiously…

It was utter silence. Just her and the wind.

Nanami began to cry.

She…all she wanted to do was protect them. At first, it was her job, but something stirred within her.

Who cares if it was her job?! She cared about all of them, and she didn't want them to fall to despair. She didn't want them to die.

It then hit her that it wasn't actually nighttime.

Better yet, it was just very cloudy. Dim, dark, and dank.

The cool breeze from the ocean was gone and replaced with a musty humidity. Nanami was tempted to take off her sweater, but something told her that wasn't a good idea. She didn't know what exactly, but something.

So, she grabbed a bottle of water and headed out, specifically passing through the lobby to delay her trip. So it was stormy outside. One round at the arcade game wouldn't kill her.

She stopped halfway through when she realized what happened last time it got this stormy.

* * *

><p>In an instant, Nanami was rushing out the door. And in that instant, she crashed into someone, falling backwards.<p>

"Ack…"

"EEK! I-I'm sorry! I-I mean-"

Nanami looked up to see Tsumiki stuttering out an apology. You know, despite the fact that it was Nanami that ran into her.

"Ah, Tsumiki-san, it's fine." Nanami helped herself up, reaching a hand out to lift her up as well.

Nanami found it…strange. The last time she'd seen Tsumiki alive was when she was back to her despair-induced state, raving on and on and on about how much she was in love. A love she killed Saionji and Ibuki for. Now, here she was, crying and stuttering like she hadn't murdered _two people_ in cold blood. In all honesty, the AI wasn't sure how to process it.

Tsumiki grabbed onto her hand, stuttering in perplexed shame as Nanami helped her up.

"U-um…you see, Komaeda-k-kun asked m-me to go g-get you."

Nanami cocked her head. "May I ask why?"

"Th-the bear-"

That was all Nanami had needed to hear before bolting away from the histrionic nurse whom was calling out as she slammed the hotel gate behind her.

* * *

><p>Nanami made it to Jabberwock Park with faint breath that came in large amounts. Togami had turned to see who it was, merely grunting and turning away when all was done. Komaeda caught her gaze next and smiled, practically bouncing as he made his way towards her. She looked to the left of her; Souda was fawning over Junko while Saionji scolded Tsumiki for coming in late. Then to her right she saw Hinata standing uncomfortably whilst Gundam rant on next to him to an ecstatic Sonia about his "demon beasts." Then she did a quick scan of everywhere else. Pekoyama was watching Kuzuryuu from the other side of the group (while the latter sulked), Ibuki was bouncing all over the place, mainly near Gundam and Togami, and Hanamura was hitting on Owari and Nidai; though both of them didn't catch on and merely discussed training. Koizumi eventually broke up the fight between Saionji and Tsumiki.<p>

Everything else was a blur. Monokuma popped up from behind the statue, scaring everyone except for the three enlightened. Komaeda mumbled a few things for her ears only; though she didn't pay close attention. In fact, she was ready to fall asleep right where she stood. It was only when a load roar came did she jolt back to life.

The Monobeasts emerged from the statue, once again threatening everyone. Monokuma then made Usami – or was she Monomi now? Nanami wasn't sure – the "example". Everyone stood in silence as Monokuma rambled on.

She knew the rules already anyway. Komaeda did too, and she could tell by the occasional yawn that he was just as bored and tired as she was.

After Monokuma left, everyone gathered around.

Most took turns flipping out, while Togami tried to calm everyone down with the whole leader thing again. Junko, however, was not having that.

"Oh hush up for two damn seconds, pig boy," she snapped, sending him a nice glare. He shot one back but said nothing. It was here that the fashionista took her stand.

"So you guys reeeeeeaaaally think that no one's gonna kill? Because honestly, if you do, you're fucking _morons_ – Byakuya, I'm _not finished_ – it's natural that all of us are scared about it and don't want to believe it, but hey, that's the truth. Hell, who knows? The person next to you could be planning to kill you _right now_."

Everyone looked to their sides, glancing at the people around them. Everyone else, in a confused stupor, stayed frozen in place. Komaeda and Nanami however, simply looked at each other.

"Well…?" said a small whisper.

"Oh my god Komaeda-"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, jeez!"

After that, the humidity in the air dispersed. Everyone slowly but surely left, leaving Komaeda and Nanami alone in the park. Well, except for one other person.

"What are you two doing still here?" A critical voice came from behind them. Komaeda turned and smiled wryly.

"I could ask you the same thing, y'know."

Togami's brows furrowed. "How do I know you're not planning to kill her?" He then glanced at her as well.

"Or vice versa."

A grave look washed over Komaeda's face, and he gripped Nanami's hand with more strength than the light one he'd had prior.

"Me? Kill _Nanami?_ I would never."

Togami was a bit taken back by the harsh declaration.

"And how do I know you're not lying?"

"Oh? Like how _you_ are?"

"Komaeda, please, let's just go-"

"_Me? _A _liar?_ Explain."

A dark look crept over Komaeda's face, and his wry smile turned into a dark smirk.

"You're not Togami. You're the imposter."

Nanami groaned, smacking her forehead and turning away from the both of them.

Togami visibly tensed, but refused to falter his expression.

"I don't know what you're getting a-"

"You're the Super High School Level Imposter." Komaeda's smirk disappeared into a disapproving frown. "Why are you being so persistent with hiding that? I know all about it."

Togami hesitated.

"How."

"Not important. What's important is that I know, and I expect you to not do anything rash." An uncharacteristic smile appeared on his face.

"Call it…monitoring the playing field."

"You piece of shit-"

He simply brushed passed him, grasping Nanami's hand with new confidence. Nanami refused to look at Togami as they walked away, leaving the imposter with nothing but paranoia.

She felt bad. But she supposed it was better.

She'd just have to monitor everyone, and thankfully Komaeda's manipulative skills would help her make a good leader.

She'd make sure no one would die.

.

…probably.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I feel like this chapter was less..I don't know...extravagant? Well, whatever. Anyway, it's going to get better now that the prologue is over. I can actually work with what I have, and make it more original.**

**Thanks so much for all the favourites and reviews! Honestly, I'm flattered, I didn't think it was going to get noticed at all!**

**Oh, and sorry is Nanami is ooc. She's still kind of shaken up, but she'll get better. Ko is too jealous though oops-**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 1 Part 1

**Reviews**

**Helkavana: Aha, yeah, for now. Komaeda doesn't know that though, but he suspects it.**

**Codebreakeryuuki: KomaNami is hecka cute yes and Hinata is an oblivious dork but it's okay-**

**And you'll find that out eventually eyyy**

**metalgearhunter: No problem about the Junko thing! And yeah, Komaeda's basically her assistant, but somebody's still gonna die always. Thanks so much!**

**Nessie71: Thank you!**

**LilLight123: Well now you don't have to friend**

**Supersilver46 : Thank you, and isn't she great?**

**guedesbrawl: Eeee thank you! And I hope it will too, ehe!**

**lizard11037 : Thank you!**

**Crack-jouchan: Thank you so much! And yeah he's a possessive lil dork when it comes to her but hEy we're only on Chapter one so that might change you never know ;)  
><strong>

**Meisho: THANK YOU SO MUCH NANami's really hard right now bc she's still in shock so I'm glad to finally hear that I've been writing her well?/ Thank you.  
><strong>

**DetectiveEmma: I woke up to your review this morning with the intentions of at least getting through most of the chapter today but you inspired me to get through all of it okay thAnk you for your wonderful review and ily2  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"You're not allowed to kill anyone."<p>

"Really? Not even Junko?"

"Komaeda that's not even funny."

"I was kidding! Well, kind of."

"Komaeda!"

He simply laughed as Nanami stood in front of him with a frown. The two were in Komaeda's cabin – Komaeda sitting on his bed and Nanami standing next to it – during the morning of their second day on the island. Although she'd woken them up early, Komaeda sat on his bed with a content grin. His hair and shirt were disheveled, his pants were lying somewhere on the other side of the room, and Nanami was doing her very best to avoid looking at his boxers.

Unlike him, she was dressed and ready; she hated to wake up early, but today it was important to do so. A pout that was almost too childish sat itself on her face. Pink eyes sat themselves on his face, as his greyish-green ones did the same to hers. They stood in silence, until he sighed in defeat.

"Fine, fine, I'm getting up."

With a groan, he lifted himself out of his bed, dragging the sheets with him. She rolled her eyes and grasped the sheet in her hands, pulling it away as he went to pick up his pants. He slung them over his shoulder and trudged into the shutting it with a large click.

The gamer, bugged by the mess he made, started with making his bed. She didn't know why she bothered; she rarely ever made her own – that was Monomi's thing. Yet here she was, doing so anyway.

_Stop questioning things_, she scolded. _Just roll with it_.

By the time she had finished, Komaeda was still not out of the bathroom. With a huff, she sat herself on his bed, folded her arms, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Then, he opened the door with a smile, dressed and ready to face the day.

A bell resounded from nowhere; even though the two were both familiar with it, they still looked up to find it.

"Ahem! This is a Hope's Peak School Trip Committee announcement! Good morning everyone! Today looks like it's going to be a bea-utiful day!"

Nanami sighed. "I suppose that's our cue."

He simply grunted in response, picking up his coat off the table. He'd started to put it on, but stopped half way, and stuck with tying it around his waist.

Nanami cocked her head. "You're not going to put it on?"

"…Nah. Consider it…symbolism. For a new beginning."

"That's pretty cheesy."

"Have you _seen_ what you're wearing?"

She puffed her cheeks and glared at him while he playfully laughed it off. The duo headed outside, making their way to the main building.

* * *

><p>"Nanami, we should really be going to breakfast by now."<p>

"Can't. Busy. Next level."

He frowned. "You said that five levels ago."

A silence. He was leaning against the arcade machines next to her as she sat and worked diligently on her usual.

"You can go up without me."

"Whaaaat? But what if someone kills you? I couldn't live with myself if _that_ happened!"

She groaned, stopped, and returned to focusing solely on her game. He pouted, his eyes trying hard to plead with her, but eventually gave up.

"Fiiiiine, I'll see you in a bit."

He shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way upstairs with the majority of the group. The room was bustling with people laughing and chatting as if yesterday's events hadn't happened. He watched as no one said anything or looked in his direction with scornful eyes, and some even _waved _to him. He wondered why anyone would be waving to trash such as himself.

He'd finished gathering his food when he heard his name from the back. With a sharp spin he faced Souda waving for him to sit with them. He couldn't help the smile that made its way to his face instantly, and practically bounced over in their direction.

Inwardly however, he reminded himself that these people were despair and that he should not be happy to be around them. Only Nanami. With an inhale through his nostrils, he composed himself and sat down.

"Komaeda, hey! How are you today?" Souda said with a grin, flashing his razor teeth.

"Ah, I'm alright, thank you. And you?"

"Me? I'm better than alright! Have you _seen_ the babes around here?"

Hanamura, who'd been sitting next to him, nodded in delight. "Ah yes, the girls around here have such an exquisite taste to them, don't you think?"

"Haha, everyone's so full of energy! It's GREAT!" Nidai seemed to ignore the lustful desires that provoked the previous two, and only focused on enthusiasm. Typical.

Hinata, who Komaeda had the misfortune to sit next to, only laughed lightly. "They certainly are…something."

Souda's face scrunched up in jealousy. "Oh hush you! You got to spend ALL DAY with the model! God, I was practically _drooling_ at the sight of her, and you just dealt with it like it was nothing!"

Hinata looked thoroughly unsettled at Souda's proclamation and said nothing. Souda on the other hand turned his attention to Komaeda.

"And you! You've been hanging out with Nanami nonstop! Do you guys know each other or something?"

The luckster scratched his cheek. "Um, we have been…previously acquainted."

Hanamura smirked. "Oho, do tell."

"N-no! It's nothing like that, honestly! We've just met before, that's all!"

"Yeah, lay off him!"

Komaeda looked at Hinata in slight confusion. This was…a first.

"Ah, you're such a party pooper, Hinata!"

Komaeda began to block them out.

* * *

><p>"Chiaki, Ibuki noticed that you and Nagito spent A LOT of time together yesterday!"<p>

"Huh? They did?"

"Oh my! Are you two in a relationship? That is so romantic!"

"Euughhh! We just met yesterday and you're already porking? Groooooosssss!"

Koizumi snapped out of her confused interest and glared at Saionji, who simply shrugged and put her hands up in defense. Ibuki laughed and Sonia cocked her head.

"N-no…it's not like that at all. We're only friends."

"You say that now," Saionji said with a dramatic sigh. "You say that now."

"Um, pardon me asking, but what is 'porking'?"

"Well Sonia, when a man and a woman, or a woman and a woman, or a man and a man, or a man a woman and another woman, or maybe another man-"

"Mioda, please-"

"I heard pork what's up?" Owari loomed over the group with an entire box of cereal in her hands.

"Well, I was just asking what 'porking' meant and Mioda was explaining it to me!"

"-or maybe four men-"

"Mioda!"

Nanami decided she was just going to eat her cereal now.

* * *

><p>"Alright everyone, listen up!"<p>

The entire group faced Togami's – or fake Togami's, really. Twogami? – direction. Komaeda scowled and Nanami frowned lightly.

Twogami scanned the group, stopping momentarily at Nanami and freezing at Komaeda. He clicked his tongue and glared right back.

"I believe…that Komaeda has something to say."

All eyes drifted towards the luckster, but his gaze did not falter. He pushed his chair backwards as he stood up, a glided over towards Twogami.

Nanami's heart – well, fake heart – ached in her chest as it thumped loudly and swiftly. Would he say something? Would he case turmoil? He wouldn't kill anyone at least, but what was he going to do?

"Indeed I do," he said with a smile. He glanced briefly in Nanami's direction before addressing the class.

"We believe that we should have a group leader. In all honestly, I don't believe that trash such as myself should even consider being said leader. So I'm not going to."

He paused, shot a sharp glance at Twogami, and back to the class.

"And in all honesty? He isn't either. He knows why."

Twogami scowled, but didn't fight back. Nanami had a feeling that she knew where this was going and hid in her seat as best she could.

"Question!" Ibuki said, waving her hand obnoxiously.

Yes, Mioda?"

"Why isn't Byakuya fit to be the top leader guy?"

Komaeda smiled and once more turned to face the imposter.

Twogami coughed.

"Because someone else would fit the position better. Am I not correct, Komaeda?"

Komaeda smiled wider as he saw the dark, distasteful look in Twogami's eyes.

He didn't falter his gaze. "That's right. Nanami?"

Nanami heard the whispers around her of her classmates – most notably from Ibuki, who had a giant grin with two thumbs up, and Saionji, who was mouthing 'you say that now' obnoxiously – and stood up with shaky knees. She walked over gracefully while looking down, and flinched when she heard Junko whistle from the back.

"I-I wouldn't call myself fit for this-"

"Nonsense." Twogami fitted his glasses.

"R-right. Anyway, we were thinking, since this whole murder thing is happening, we thought that if we had someone to lead us, maybe we'd be less…inspired to commit murder."

A scoff came from the back. "And a small mortal such as yourself would be the one to lead us? Nonsense!"

Nanami pouted and looked at Komaeda, then back to Gundam.

"He'll be helping me. I'm just better at the whole plan formulating, I guess."

Komaeda nodded proudly and Gundam finished with a final scoff. He'd comply for now, at least.

The former walked up to where Nanami stood, once more addressing the class.

"And the best way to do that is to get along, yeah? So, I say we have a party!"

Nanami choked.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Twogami said slowly. "That might actually work."

"A party? How lovely!" Sonia and the majority of the girls at the table chattered about how exciting it was.

"That sounds like fun. Good idea Komaeda!" Hinata's smile made him want to puke and squeal at the same time and that really disturbed him.

"Pfft. Why would I want to party with _you_ losers?" Saionji snickered at first, but then sighed and fell back in her chair.

"Eh, there's free food."

"Free food that _I'll _be cooking," Hanamura cooed. "Therefore it will be more than just free. It'll be better."

"Ibuki didn't hear Chiaki or Nagito or Byakuya mention _you_ cooking, though."

"No, no! He can cook! We'd prefer that, right?" _Komaeda's just eager to eat his food again,_ Nanami thought to herself as she nodded calmly.

"Bah! Who needs a party?" Souda said with a scoff. Kuzuryuu, who was quietly against a nearby wall, nodded in agreement.

"Really Souda? _I _thought it was a good idea."

"I change my mind it's a good idea!" Junko flipped her hair as Souda followed her to the main circle of people that was starting to form.

Kuzuryuu groaned. Away from the eyes of the others, Pekoyama came up to him briefly and patted his shoulder before turning away.

"Alright everyone, come back around lunch time and we'll figure out what jobs each of us will do to help set up! See you guys then!"

Everyone dispersed with talk of the party on their tongues, leaving Komaeda and Nanami alone. He picked up a chair and moved it away from the tables, sitting on it in the opposite direction and using the back rest as an arm rest. Nanami walked up to him with her arms folded and her brows furrowed. Komaeda knew what was coming.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"The party. As in, the party that got someone _killed_ last time."

"Because of me, Nanami. Had I not inspired anyone, it probably wouldn't have happened!"

"You don't know that!"

"No, I do. And this time, for you my dear, I will not cause any havoc! I'll just stand in the back and act all smiles."

He lifted a hand from the top of his chair and gentled pulled Nanami's arms apart, lifting one hand and bringing it to his lips. He gave her a charming smile. She simply scowled with the other hand now resting on her hip.

"Komaeda stop fooling around."

"I'm serious Nanami, I swear!" He kissed the back of her hand delicately. She sighed in defeat.

"…Fine. But you have to promise me."

"I know, I know! No instigating or murdering of any persons including myself." He dropped her hand and folded his own arms, resting his chin atop them.

"You told me this morning."

"Yes, I did. I was just making sure."

"Well everything's perfectly innocent on my side of the playing field! I'm sorry you have to worry about trash like me."

"Yeah, whatever. Come on, let's go."

She turned to walk away, causing him to whine as he stood up.

"Wait for meeeee!"

"Komaeda, put the chair back please. And don't make us look suspicious – you should hang out with some of the others."

"But I don't want to, they're all-"

"Komaeda."

He huffed. "Fine, Mom."

A smile rested on her face as she headed down the stairs. He was such a dork sometimes.

* * *

><p>The wind was low that morning and the sun was bright and beating down upon her. The air was comfortable; it wasn't too hot or too cold, it was simply perfect. Nanami, despite her usual routine, decided to go for a walk on the beach alone.<p>

The sand was just as it usually was: annoying. It crunched under her feet too loudly for her liking and when she tried to sit down it would get all over her. Then she'd have to go in the water to wash it off and she really didn't want to.

"Chiaki?"

A small voice came from behind her; frantic, yet still small. She turned around to see her "sister" Monomi holding a small, pink flip phone.

"Hey Monomi. What's that?"

"Ahh, not you too!" She frantically whined. "Ugh, now everyone's calling me Monomi…"

"Monomi, what's the flip phone?"

"Oh, right!"

Monomi held the flip phone out to her. She examined it closely, flipping it open, before seeing that a call was on hold. Curiously, she answered, guessing it was for her.

"H-hello?"

"Nanami! Listen, we don't have long, but we were able to break through."

_That voice._ "Naegi? Is that-"

"Listen, we don't know what you did, but we noticed that it reset. We're trying our hardest to get in, but it's not easy at all. In fact, her barricade is even stronger than last time."

"Okay, I get it. How much longer do you think it will take?"

"Probably three weeks," he said with a sigh. "Can I trust you to keep them alive for another three weeks?"

"Naegi, I can only try."

"I know," he murmured. "Ah shoot, she's trying to hack the call. I'll try to call again, but it's highly unlikely."

"Okay. Tell my brother I said hi."

"Will do."

The call ended with a swift click, but she couldn't help but listen to the beeping afterwards.

"Chiaki, what did he say?"

Nanami removed the phone from her ear, closed it gently, and handed it back to the rabbit.

"Three weeks, Monomi," she said with a whisper.

"Three more weeks."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm gonna try for monthly updates.**

**And now that I've said so it probably won't happen.**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and follows like jesus one minute there were like 5 follows and now we're at 32?/ what?/**

**Again, thanks for sticking with the story! With the monthly update thing, I'm gonna aim for it, maybe if it's a good month I can get two out, but I can't promise much. We just started A Tale of Two Cities in Pre-AP English and it's completely unreasonable the amount of work they give for that stupid book.**

**So, hopefully I'll see you guys next month! Be sure to Favorite, Follow, and Review if you enjoyed!**

**Thanks for reading!**


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